Most applicants choose a project
Most applicants apply to do a specific research project, although depending on the source of funding students may suggest their own in consultation with supervisors.
Doctoral · Imperial Earth Science and Engineering
Imperial Earth Science and Engineering PhD: pick a project, win a supervisor's interest
The Imperial Earth Science and Engineering PhD is built around specific research projects, and the Department says online applications should only be submitted after a potential supervisor has expressed sufficient interest. It does not require an Earth science degree: a degree in a field appropriate to the intended research at upper-second-class or equivalent is the stated minimum. For a graduate from physics, chemistry, engineering or environmental science, the decision is how this project-led route differs from a general Physics or Chemistry doctorate and which project to approach. This guide sets out what Imperial's page says, which carries no entry-year label, marks Avandy's judgment separately and ends with next steps.
Official information · no entry-year label on the page
What Imperial asks for in Imperial Earth Science and Engineering PhD
Taken from Imperial's Department of Earth Science and Engineering Postgraduate PhD page and read on 1 November 2026. The page carries no entry-year label, so every value below is treated as previous-cycle evidence for a 2028-29 start; Imperial's requirements, dates and funding for 2028-29 are awaiting publication, and none is stated here.
Contact a faculty member first
Interested students should begin by contacting a faculty member, and online applications should only be submitted after the supervisor has expressed sufficient interest.
Not only Earth science graduates
The department does not require an undergraduate degree in the Earth sciences.
An upper second or equivalent
Applicants should hold a degree in a field appropriate to the intended research at upper-second-class or equivalent.
About 40 students a year
The department admits about 40 PhD students each year, and a full-time PhD normally takes 3-4 years.
Official sources
- Imperial College London: Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Postgraduate PhDimperial.ac.uk
Read on 1 November 2026 on Imperial's Department of Earth Science and Engineering Postgraduate PhD page, which carries no entry-year label. Imperial's deadline, fee and funding tables, scholarship pages, the department's research pages and the University's application guidance were not used and are not stated. No deadline, fee, funding amount or place number is stated.
The decision
Does a project and supervisor match your background?
This guide concerns only the Imperial research degree. The comparison with a general physics or chemistry doctorate is Avandy's judgment (heuristic), built from what the page says.
It fits if
your degree is in a field appropriate to a project, at upper second or better, and you can say which project or supervisor draws you.
Think again if
you want a free-standing topic with no supervisor in mind. The page says most applicants apply to a specific project.
Funding shapes the route
Some projects are funded through research grants and others through scholarships or doctoral training centres; the page says not all listed projects have funding.
How the application is read
Supervisor interest comes before the form
Imperial says interested students should begin by contacting a faculty member to discuss the potential research topic, and that online applications should only be submitted after the supervisor has expressed sufficient interest. Funded projects are advertised on the departmental website as they become available, and applications from students who have secured their own scholarship funding are welcome. The page does not list a test or a written-work length.
How the degree runs
Interdisciplinary projects across the Earth system
The page lists project topics from planetary and climate science to subsurface geoscience, alternative energy systems and mineral extraction. A full-time PhD normally takes three to four years, and the department admits about 40 PhD students each year. This page carries no entry-year label and may change.
Avandy's judgment
Where an application can go wrong
These points are Avandy's heuristic reading of the page. They are not Imperial rules and carry no probability.
Applying before the supervisor agrees
The page asks you to wait for sufficient interest from the potential supervisor.
Assuming funding comes with every project
The page says not all listed projects have funding.
Assuming an Earth science degree is required
The department says it does not necessarily require one.
Treating it like a physics PhD
Applications are organised around named projects in the Earth system, not a general discipline.
Next steps
A sensible order of work
The order is Avandy's suggestion, built from the page's own steps.
Browse projects
Read the Department's projects by topic and note funding for each.
Write to a faculty member
Discuss the topic before applying.
Check your degree
Confirm your degree is appropriate to the research and at upper second or better.
Apply once interest is expressed
Submit the online application after the supervisor's interest.
Planning for 2028-29 entry
Planning for 2028-29 entry: what carries over and what awaits publication
Imperial's pages carries no entry-year label. A start in 2028-29 means applying under rules Imperial has not yet published. Each item below is either read on the page and treated as previous-cycle wording, which may change, or awaiting publication for 2028-29 entry.
The structure of the route and the application
The entry standard, the application items and the research-degree structure are described on Imperial's pages for the 2027-28 cycle. Imperial has not published the following cycle.
Deadlines, places, funding and fees
This guide states none of them. Imperial publishes them per cycle; read them again when they show 2028-29.
What to do now
Browse the Department's projects, contact a faculty member and apply once a supervisor has expressed interest.
Support
Independent support with the research statement and fit
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Imperial College London or any of its departments, and it has no relationship with any member of staff. Support sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant and a PhD-level Academic Mentor help the applicant test a research idea against the department's published research areas and plan their own statement. Support here is limited to testing a research idea against the department's published research themes and planning the applicant's own statements; it does not extend to contacting staff on the applicant's behalf. Avandy does not write or submit any part of an application, cannot arrange a supervisor and promises no outcome or funding.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Do I need an Earth science degree?
No. The Department says it does not necessarily require an undergraduate degree in the Earth sciences, but a degree in a field appropriate to the research at upper-second-class or equivalent.
Should I contact a supervisor first?
Yes. Imperial says interested students should begin by contacting a faculty member and that online applications should only be submitted after sufficient interest.
Are all projects funded?
No. The page says not all listed projects have funding, and applicants with their own scholarship funding are welcome.
How long does the PhD take?
A full-time PhD normally takes 3-4 years.
Does this guide state a deadline or funding amount?
No. The page carries no entry-year label, and this guide states no deadline, fee or funding.
Students and families
Talk to us about the Imperial Earth Science and Engineering PhD
Tell us about your degrees, your research experience, the research question you want to pursue and the supervisors or groups you have in mind. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to develop the research statement.